The New Age of Orthodontics

Over the past 25 years, braces have changed a lot. If you think about it, it really has changed in two aspects:

The first aspect is that braces used to be considered a luxury and as a luxury only very few patients had an opportunity to have braces. Today, braces are part of an important overall dental healthcare plan.

The second area that braces have changed is in terms of technology. As we know today, braces are smaller – they may fit on the outside of the teeth or they may fit on the inside of the teeth. Sometimes they are tooth colored and sometimes they are clear so that you don’t even see them at all. If we go ahead and look at those that are fashion conscious, they may decide to use colors or different shapes – and if you couple that with the new technologies like memory wires, that makes braces not only better looking, but more comfortable and more effective.

Evolution of BracesLooking back to the 1970’s all patients had the old school, railroad tracks type of braces – the braces that wrapped all the way around the teeth – and most of the patients were children. Now, patients have miniature metal braces, clear braces, enamel colored braces, braces that are on the inside or the outside of the teeth and some patients don’t have braces or wires at all because they have clear plastic aligners which are very popular. Regardless of your particular dental needs, Owl Orthodontics delivers excellent results.

It’s really not the technology that we are looking at, it’s more about the person using that technology. Many people don’t realize that orthodontists receive an additional two to three years of formalized education, beyond dental school, to learn the proper way to align and straighten teeth and jaws. They also focus their continuing education throughout their careers on orthodontics alone so that they can provide you with a great smile using the latest kind of technology.

One of the big changes that we see is how orthodontics is going to fit into today’s busy lifestyle. It’s really a question of convenience. Children patients start school earlier, they’re busy before school, during and after and have difficulty coming in. The adult patients are busy at work and don’t want to necessarily miss work in order to have their orthodontic visits and check-ups. This issue has made orthodontics evolve so that patients have to come in less often. It used to be that patients would have to be seen every 1 to 2 weeks or 3 to 4 weeks at a time. Now, patients can come in every 6 to 8 weeks and some only need to come in every 10 weeks.

Convenience and Affordability
Another big change is the affordability of orthodontic treatment. In the 1970’s, the cost of braces was similar to that of a mid-sized car – now it is a fraction of that cost. Couple that with dental financing options, insurance coverage plans and flexible spending accounts, saving money on orthodontic treatment is more attainable today than ever before.

Six out of ten patients today that are having braces have some kind of dental insurance and the fact that orthodontics dollar-for-dollar costs less today, there’s really no reason that somebody who wants to have a beautiful, vibrant smile can’t have one. All you need to do is call Owl Orthodontics to get started.

Adult Orthodontics
Many adults are opting for orthodontic treatment for a variety of reasons – healthy straight teeth are ageless and attractive and many adults are realizing that there is connection between oral health (a healthy smile) and overall health. More specifically, some have seen a child have a beautiful smile and some want that for themselves. Also, some adult patients had treatment as a child and come in for a tune up.

In the past, there were very few adult patients and part of that was because patients simply didn’t come in as adults and ask for treatment. We know that teeth can move at any age and today with the new technologies we can provide adults with cosmetic, aesthetic braces, from which they can get a great looking smile. And whether it is a small change they need for a maturational misalignment of their teeth or something they are going to need a major change, they are able to get a beautiful smile as orthodontists are able to move teeth with a variety of different kinds of braces.